


And In These Quiet Moments We Still Are Not Whole

by emmypenny (burritosong)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Mentions of canon character death, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-26
Updated: 2012-08-26
Packaged: 2017-11-12 22:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/496382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burritosong/pseuds/emmypenny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three women after the war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And In These Quiet Moments We Still Are Not Whole

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at Hogwarts Elite/Diagon Elite

I.

In the end, it is not Lucius or Draco who saves their family, but Narcissa. She saves them not with any action against the Dark Lord, but with her words. They are together, but they are not whole. Lucius spends the rest of his life haunted by his time in Azkaban. Draco spends his weighted down by the Mark on his arm. Narcissa reunites with Andromeda, and carries all of them in their uncertainty.

II.

A month after the war ends, Ginny returns to the Burrow smiling to find Percy sitting in the dark of the kitchen. She almost misses him entirely, and it's only when his head turns toward her that she realizes he's even there.

"Are you back then?" she asks. "Are you home for good?"

She stands in the stillness waiting for an answer that never comes. She waits until the moment has passed. She waits as the silence stretches into awkwardness. She waits through awkwardness until finally, the happiness that entered the Burrow with her has left.

Finally, she turns and goes up to her room.

She sheds her clothes, leaving them on the floor where they fall, and crawls into bed. She pulls the covers over her head and closes her eyes, reaching back to earlier in the evening when she had been so freely happy.

When she cries, she isn't sure if it's because her brother is home or because her brother is dead. She doesn't know if she's crying because she feels guilty for being happy or simply because she isn't happy anymore. And then she's asleep and the reason doesn't matter anymore.

In the morning she makes her way down to the kitchen with swollen eyes and rats' nest hair and Percy is still there. They smile anemically at each other, but it's better than nothing at all.

III.

Andromeda wakes in the middle of the night and she knows something is different. She makes her way to the baby's cradle in the corner of her room and finds Teddy sleeping peacefully. She smooths down his bubblegum pink hair and smiles before returning to bed.

For the first time since losing Nymphadora and Remus, they both sleep until morning.


End file.
